Burns survivor hails 2012 the most amazing year of her life after being crowned Young Scot

ERIN McNEILL suffered 40 per cent burns after a blaze at a friend’s house three years ago, but she admits winning the award gave her the courage to show other burns survivors there is life after trauma.

WHEN burns survivor Erin McNeill was hailed our Young Scot, she had no idea it would be the start of a life-changing year.

From being crowned an international beauty queen to being named as one of the most inspirational women of 2012, the brave 22-year-old has enjoyed an astonishing nine months since winning the Young Scot title in April.

Yesterday, she took a moment to pause. The voluntary worker, who suffered 40 per cent burns after a blaze at a friend’s house three years ago, admits winning the award gave her the courage to enter beauty pageants all over the world, dispelling the myth that beauty is only skin deep.

Erin won the hearts of the Young Scot judges after she selflessly raised more than £65,000 for the firefighters who saved her life.

Today, as we launch our search for the inspirational young Scots of 2013, Erin encourages readers to nominate someone aged 11-26 and change their life forever.

She said: “Being crowned the overall Young Scot of 2012 was the most amazing night of my life.

“Every time I look back on photos, tears start running down my face. To be given a standing ovation that night was magical and made me realise I could make things happen if I put my mind to it.

“The award opened a lot of doors for me and gave me the confidence to show other burns survivors there is life after trauma.”

Erin, from Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, added: “As well as winning numerous beauty contests, I have started training for my dream job as a volunteer with the Red Cross.

“2012 is going to be a hard year to beat but I am going to give it a go.

“There are thousands of young Scots out there who are doing fantastic work in their communities and deserve to be recognised.

“I urge the public to get nominating and draw attention to the wonderful work the youth of Scotland are doing.

“The nation has the power to change someone’s life for ever – just look at me.”

The Sunday Mail launched the first awards in partnership with Young Scot – the national youth information and citizenship charity – in 2006 and the event is now bigger than ever.

On Friday, April 19, guests will attend the glittering awards ceremony at Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium, which will be televised by STV.

With this year’s awards shaping up to be the biggest and best yet, Louise Macdonald, chief executive of Young Scot, said: “Now in its eighth year, the awards have highlighted that young people across Scotland are doing amazing work every single day and making a positive difference to the lives of those around them.

“So, if you know a young person or group who you think deserves to be recognised for their talents and achievements, we are urging you to nominate them now.

“The Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards are an exciting opportunity for Scotland to promote and be proud of its young people and we can’t wait to see the nominations for 2013 and share even more inspirational stories with you.”

Allan Rennie, Editor-in-Chief of the Sunday Mail and Daily Record, added: “Little did we imagine when we first launched the awards in 2006 how they would grow and thrive.

“The Young Scot Awards have played a major part in getting rid of the tired old stereotypes about young people. The awards are a reminder to the nation of how brilliant young people are.”